Growing up in Cleveland, I was a baseball fan above all other sports. The Indians were a major part of my life when I was younger. During the golden years of the Indians franchise in the mid to late 90s, my Dad and I watched as many Indians games as work and school would allow. We watched a collection of current and future All Stars (Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Richie Sexson, Brian Giles, Roberto Alomar, Kenny Lofton, and Omar Vizquel just to name a few) bludgeon opponents into submission. We shared the crushing emotional blow of the 1995 World Series, where every Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine slowball within a foot of the corner was a strike. We considered suicide when the dominant 1997 team succumbed to Jose Mesa's unmatched lack of clutch in Game 7. That series created one of the seminal moments of my childhood. My tear-stained 11-year-old face on my pillow with a Kenny Lofton poster above me and the sound of my dad letting loose a string of expletives from the basement that would have put the father from "A Christmas Story" to shame. It was on that day that I became a true Cleveland sports fan, because I knew the heartbreak that generations before me had felt.Pitching was always the Achilles' heel of those 90s teams. No lineup could come close to matching the firepower the Indians possessed, but our starters were always average and/or lacking depth, and then there was Jose Mesa. This season, the Tribe have the best starting pitching they've had since I was born. The 1-2 punch of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona is unmatched. They have to strike fear into the hearts of the Boston lineup in spite of their youth and postseason inexperience. Ask the Yankees how fun it is to try deal with a 95 MPH Carmona sinker that you know is coming but still can't hit. Still, I can't help but have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Something has to go wrong. Here's how I see the matchup playing out.

Starting Pitching:

Sabathia/Carmona or Beckett/Schilling? Depends on if you value past playoff success or current dominance. Either way, these two teams have the top two 1-2 pitching combos in the playoffs. Sabathia and Beckett will have it out in a Game 1 that will show the world who truly deserves the Cy Young (although the votes are already in). Beckett is simply unhittable in the postseason, with a World Series MVP already under his belt. Schilling is an amazing playoff performer and Carmona has only one career playoff start. But in that start, Fausto dominated the Yankees in embarrassing fashion. His sinker is the filthiest in the AL, and he had a sub-2.00 ERA in the second half. The first two games of this series should be incredible pitching duels. After that things get hazy. Jake Westbrook and Daisuke Matsuzaka are set to face off in Game 3. These two incredibly inconsistent pitchers will be lucky to last 5 innings. The long relievers better be ready for this one. Eric Wedge, in his infinite wisdom, pitched Paul Byrd in Game 4 of the Yankee series, and will likely do so again. Though it worked to perfection in the ALDS, you’ll have to forgive me for not being ecstatic.

ADVANTAGE: EVEN

Middle Relievers:

The Indians’ bullpen may be even better than the starters, until you get to the very end. Rafael Perez was unhittable in the second half, and despite struggling in his Game 4 appearance against New York, he gutted his way through a tough inning and kept the lead in tact allowing only one run. When on, lefties might as well just give up against him. Rafael Betancourt is just as dominant. He'll throw 15 pitches in an inning, and 12 of them will be 92-93 MPH on the outside corner. Like Carmona, everybody knows what he's going to throw, they just can't hit it. Jensen Lewis has also been incredible as of late, and whether or not he can keep the blinders on and not be overwhelmed by the situation may determine the success or failure of this bullpen. The Sox have Hideki Okajima, who appears to be over his "tired arm". The also have an interesting youngster in flame-throwing Manny Delcarmen. Delcarmen, like Jensen Lewis of the Tribe, could be a make or break guy in this bullpen. Then there's Eric Gagne. Acquired at the trade deadline to make the Red Sox bullpen impenetrable, Gagne has reverted to when he used to start in LA, getting lit up appearance after appearance. The Sox would be crazy to throw him out there in an important situation.

ADVANTAGE: INDIANS

Closers:

Closer is possibly the single most important position in the playoffs. A great closer is often the difference between winning and losing a series. Unfortunately for the Tribe, they have Joe Borowski. Borowski led the league in saves (45) despite an inexcusable, disgusting, unfathomable 5.07 ERA. He is the argument for why the save is the single most overrated stat in sport. I would rather have Jose Mesa NOW closing for the Indians than Joe Borowski. On the other side, Jonathan Papelbon is a stone cold killer. Three plus pitches that he throws very, very hard. And then there's that stare. He's the guy you want on the mound in a big spot. He is…(drumroll please)…The Anti-Borowski.

HUGE ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

Hitting:

Once again, this is a pretty good matchup, and it comes down to whether you prefer hot young hitters or guys who have been there and done that. Grady Sizemore is the catalyst for the Indians, and if he can hit the Sox like he did the Yanks, the Cleveland lineup will be exponentially more potent. Travis Hafner needs to channel his play from last year in order to give the Indians a viable home run threat in the middle of the lineup. Victor Martinez is the best catcher in baseball, and he showed it in the ALDS. He is a hitting machine and even learned to throw this year. Jhonny Peralta, Asdrubal Cabrera, Kenny Lofton, and Ryan Garko are all hitting threats as well. A bunch of guys with 20 home runs is great, but I'd rather have one monster in the middle of the lineup to terrify opponents. The Red Sox have two guys that terrify opponents in Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Manny is one of the best hitters in baseball history. Let that sink in because he will go down as one of the very best to ever pick up a bat. He is tied for the most postseason home runs in the 100-plus year history of the game. David Ortiz is the most clutch human this side of Tiger Woods, and pitching to him in any situation of importance is lunacy. Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell are also very good hitters. J.D. Drew, Coco Crisp, and Julio Lugo have been major disappointments at the plate, but I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one of them come up with a big hit in the series, especially if they’re facing Jose Mesa, Jr.

ADVANTAGE: RED SOX

The Final Say:

Joe Borowski masquerading as a major league pitcher is going to cost the Indians the series. There is no way around how awful this man is. If he didn't have the label of "closer", he'd be bagging groceries somewhere or chilling in A ball. He's that bad. Eric Wedge's stubborness about changing anything the Indians did in the regular season worked fine in the ALDS, but he will regret it if he lets Borowski see the mound with less than a 12 run lead. Jonathon Papelbon is an amazing closer and will show Joe what the job is all about. I see these teams splitting the first two games, but the middle of the Red Sox lineup may be able to wear down the Tribe's 3 and 4 starters. Inexperience may also hurt Cleveland. I'll be rooting for them with all my heart, but they won't be able to overcome the Red Sox experience and superior closer. In the end, the cocky and reckless decision by Wedge and upper management to ignore the closer situation despite having a contending team will come back to bite them. One final note: if Wedge starts Byrd in Game 4, that would make Jake Westbrook the Game 7 starter in Boston…GULP. PREDICTION: SOX IN 7

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onearmedbandit said:

	I was correct in my prediction, though it wasn't Borowski that blew it. It was the rest of this shitty fucking unclutch team. At least my love for them was forever tainted in 1997, so this doesn't hurt as much as it could. I hate always being right.
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October 22, 2007
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